ABB has secured two orders from China’s Southwest Aluminum to supply integrated automation and digital technologies for two six-high aluminium cold rolling mills, supporting the manufacturer’s wide-strip production expansion and upgrade. The projects involve a 2,500 mm two-stand mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand mill, with both lines expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027. Chongqing-based Southwest Aluminum is a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco). The orders build on the longstanding cooperation between ABB and the aluminium producer, with the latest projects focusing on process stability, control precision and production performance. Explore insights and forecasts for the aluminium flat rolled products (FRP) market from our...
India-based PG Foils Limited plans to establish a downstream aluminium manufacturing facility in Bahrain, focusing on electric vehicle (EV) battery foil and pharmaceutical foil production. The proposed investment is expected to expand the kingdom’s aluminium downstream capabilities and strengthen its manufacturing base. Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed a letter of intent with PG Foils for the project. The agreement was signed by Industry and Commerce Minister Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro and PG Foils Joint Managing Director Sahil Shah during the fourth edition of the Gateway Gulf expo, which opened on November 1 in Manama. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Aluminum Foil Market Report Forecast Till 2035 Hosted by the Bahrain...
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Sapa is consolidating its position in the aluminium extrusion sector in France by investing in new value-adding services in Le Garric, extending the company's ability to meet the growing needs of customers. Sapa opened its new 2,400 square-meter machining workshop at the Le Garric site, north of Albi, on May 20. The workshop provides additional production capacity to expand its machining capabilities and enhance its product line. The capacity will allow Sapa to offer more complex parts to current and future customers, says Gilles Le Bouquin, managing director of Sapa Extrusion France. “This new workshop will enable us to meet the growing needs of our customers. Our key skills lie in providing aluminium solutions and state-of-the-art machining,” says Le Bouquin. Sapa's new fabrication...
Scandium International Mining Corp. one of the noted junior mining companies with a management team loaded with former executives from BHP Billiton reaches DFS milestone at Nyngan project which will produce high-grade scandium to be used in making superior quality aluminium alloy. Its large, high-grade scandium project in the Australian state of New South Wales, about 500 km northwest of Sydney, is a shallow and flat surface-mineable resource that can be put into production as early as the first quarter of 2018 at a cost of US$87 million. The company has already submitted its Environmental Impact Statement and has signed the first of what it hopes will be many off-take agreements. The primary use of scandium, is to enhance aluminum alloys and make them superior performers. The specialty...
Norwegian aluminium company Norsk Hydro ASA’s fully owned subsidiary, Hydro Aluminium AS, has entered into a sales agreement with Sapa AS, a global provider of downstream aluminium solutions, owned 50 percent by Hydro, to supply extrusion ingot under an open-ended agreement starting in 2017. Front, from left: Egil Hogna of Sapa and Hilde Merete Aasheim of Hydro. Back row from left: John Thuestad (Sapa), Florian Krumbacher (Sapa), Morten Holen (Hydro), Rolf Torgeir Aase (Hydro), Peter den Dikken (Sapa), Andreas Skodvin (Hydro), Erik Fossum (Hydro) and Ola Sæter (Hydro). Photo: Kevin Widlic/Sapa The agreement covers extrusion ingot in Europe, and replaces the existing contract, which was entered into at the closing of the Sapa Joint venture in 2013, and expires by the end of 2016. The...
According to the latest research report released by Technavio, the global aluminum die casting machinery market is expected to grow steadily at a CAGR of 7% until 2020. This report titled ‘Global Aluminum Die Casting Machinery Market 2016-2020‘, provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging trends. In order to arrive at the market size, Technavio researchers have considered the demand for aluminum die casting machinery from the various end-user industries in the global aluminum die casting machinery market. “Global die casting machinery manufacturers are slowly incorporating various simulation-based software solutions in their offerings to cater to the needs of end-user who require cast parts with exact dimensions of size, weight, and shape to be used in the...
The US has urged Beijing to tackle its excess industrial output and halt the flooding of cheap Chinese imports into overseas markets. In a statement released at the start of two-day bilateral talks in Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said excess capacity was damaging the global economy. It comes days after the US Commerce Department imposed anti-dumping duties — levied on foreign exporters who sell products at a lesser price in overseas markets than their value in their own country — of up to 210% on corrosion-resistant steel imports from China. "Excess capacity has a distorting and damaging effect on global markets," Lew was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Implementing policies to substantially reduce production in a range of sectors suffering from overcapacity, including steel and...
U.S. Automotive sales for May came in at 17.45 million. Down from April but also down from 17.8 million a year earlier. In May 2015, vehicle sales were a record 17.47 million vehicles, according to Autodata Corp. There were two fewer sales days this year vs May 2015. Having one less weekend was also a factor in the drop. Some analysts are taking the drop as a sign that the historically strong growth that automotive sales have enjoyed since the end of the recession is over. For the full year, auto sales are still historically strong but General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Toyotareported sales that fell more than analysts had estimated, while Nissan matched predictions with a 1%. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles surprised forecasters with a small gain by making more sales to fleet customers. If the...
India’s aluminium manufacturers continue to lobby their government for protection against low-price imports this week. Representatives from domestic aluminium firms are asking government officials to establish a minimum import price to help stave off what the firms consider dumping from several countries, not the least of which is the People’s Republic of China. “The government is re-examining the provisions of imposing either a safeguard or an anti-dumping duty on various grades of aluminium,” Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told local media on Monday. Safeguard duties are allowed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. The Finance Ministry has already turned down safeguard duties on imported aluminium. Leaders of Vedanta and Hindalco have both met with Sitharaman over the past...
Henan Province has become China’s top two aluminium processing region thanks to booming aluminium processing industry there, local media reported. Henan Province has become China’s top two aluminium processing region thanks to booming aluminium processing industry there, local media reported. Aluminium plate, strip and foil capacity and output in Luoyang City, in particular, has taken up half of China’s total, according to a recent meeting by over 30 local aluminium processor. According to the meeting, Henan’s aluminium semis output grew 8.1% year-on-year to 9.83 million tonnes last year, 18.5% of national total, making it China’s second largest aluminium semis production province.
The cooling of economic growth on the continent, mainly brought about by the commodities rout, has failed to dampen Nampak’s performance. Its operations on the continent excluding SA, now account for 47% of group trading profit, up from 38% last year. Nampak’s big beverage can production lines in Nigeria and Angola are capable of churning out about 2.7-billion cans a year between them. Nampak CEO Andre de Ruyter said the group’s foray into Africa had been vindicated by African revenue growth of 30% in the interim period from the period last year — despite foreign exchange losses. Margins were much higher on the continent than in SA, boosted by the strong growth in turnover. He said on Wednesday that the group was saving R120m a year on better procurement with major suppliers. It was also...
Shandong Nanshan Aluminum Co. has taken another important step in extending its aluminum value chain by acquiring aluminum and power assets and stepping up high-end aluminum applications, Huachuang Securities reported. Nanshan Aluminum planned earlier to issue shares to acquire Shandong Yili Power Co. This move would expand Nanshan Aluminum’s annual aluminum capacity significantly to 816,000 tonnes and reduce its production costs. Besides, Nanshan Aluminum has put online 200,000-tpy special aluminum flat-rolling project, which mainly targets aerospace applications and automotive aluminum sheet. The company has realized supply of automotive aluminum sheet in domestic market on a small scale and has begun taking orders for automotive aluminum sheet from customers in North America on a trial...
Oman-based National Aluminium Products Company (Napco), a leading extruder of aluminium in the GCC, said it has achieved OR4.8 million ($12.4 million) in revenues during the first quarter ending on March 31. The company reported a net profit of OR141,000 ($366,233), said a statement from Napco. Napco has invested in two new extrusion press machines to bolster its production, with one already in operation while the fourth press still in its trial phase and will be operational by end of this month, it added. The company has also acquired a vertical powder coating line, a new technology that will create new products while it improves efficiency, save on cost, as well as ensure environmental sustainability, it said. Robert Holtkamp, chief executive officer of Napco, said: “The aluminium...
Ess Dee Aluminium reports consolidated net loss of Rs 62.94 crore in the March 2016 quarter. Ess Dee Aluminium reported net loss of Rs 62.94 crore in the quarter ended March 2016 as against net profit of Rs 6.72 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2015. Sales declined 84.15% to Rs 32.60 crore in the quarter ended March 2016 as against Rs 205.67 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2015. For the full year,net loss reported to Rs 86.55 crore in the year ended March 2016 as against net profit of Rs 37.41 crore during the previous year ended March 2015. Sales declined 46.40% to Rs 456.21 crore in the year ended March 2016 as against Rs 851.13 crore during the previous year ended March 2015. The stock is down 5.64% or INR 4.4 after the news, hitting INR 73.6 per share. Ess...
Logistics company C M Downton has won a three-year, £12 million renewal contract with aluminium extrusion producer Sapa Profiles UK. It will continue to run the company’s national distribution, delivering from Cheltenham, Tibshelf, Redditch and Birtley. The logistics company also runs an inter-site transfer operation, as well as handling shunting at three of the main sites. The new contract will see Downton increasing its operational support team – seven members of staff will now operate out of three of Sapa’s facilities. “Sapa Profiles UK has been a key Downton client for over six years,” said Andy Downton, managing director of Downton. “It is a successful partnership that has strengthened with every passing year. We are extremely pleased to be continuing and extending the contract, and...
Gränges has been awarded for Best Interim Report 2015 in the competition Listed Company of the Year on Nasdaq Stockholm, organized by Kanton and Aktiespararna. Gränges was listed in October 2014, and it is the first year the company participates in the competition. Kanton and Aktiespararna motivate the award: "The company's interim report is efficiently structured and comprehensive. It is characterized by high ambitions regarding financial and operational data. Good pedagogics means that it is worth reading for all categories of investors. A well written and interesting section on business concept, business model and strategies are a great introduction to the company." Kanton and Aktiespararna ranks the financial information of all listed companies on Nasdaq Stockholm every year and the...
The Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) today secured an investment worth RM1.58 billion from both China and Malaysia. With the new ventures, the total investments drawn to MCKIP, which is located within the East Coast Economic Region Special Economic Zone (ECER SEZ), stood at RM15.08 billion. ECER SEZ encompasses Kuantan Port, Kuantan, Gambang and Pekan in Pahang. The new investors include Guangxi Investment Group Co Ltd, which will invest RM580 million in an aluminium component manufacturing facility. ECER SEZ encompasses Kuantan Port, Kuantan, Gambang and Pekan in Pahang. The new investors include Guangxi Investment Group Co Ltd, which will invest RM580 million in an aluminium component manufacturing facility. The signing ceremony was held during the second Investment...
Paradice Investment Management scooped up 27,857 additional shares in Kaiser Aluminum Corp. during the most recent quarter end , the firm said in a disclosure report filed with the SEC on May 13, 2016. The investment management firm now holds a total of 488,331 shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corp. which is valued at $42.2 Million.Kaiser Aluminum Corp. makes up approximately 5.61% of Paradice Investment Management’s portfolio. Other Hedge Funds, Including , Parametric Portfolio Associates boosted its stake in KALU in the latest quarter, The investment management firm added 41,838 additional shares and now holds a total of 149,972 shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corp. which is valued at $13 Million. Kaiser Aluminum Corp. makes up approx 0.02% of Parametric Portfolio Associates’s portfolio. On the...
Scientists at the United States Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have developed a new, more cost-effective method for joining carbon fiber composites and aluminium. This new process could make it even easier to utilize these materials in the process of lightweighting consumer cars and trucks. The technique for bonding aluminium and carbon fiber today is laborious, as it involves manually applying abrasives, grit blasting, or applying toxic solvents in order to prepare the surface of the materials to be joined. The scientists in question have developed a method of preparing the surface using lasers, which improves bonding and allows for automation of the process. “Our technique is vastly superior to the conventional surface preparation methods,” said Oak...
The demand for automotive aluminium sheet will grow at an unprecedented rate, recent studies conducted across major geographies give clear indication of the trend. The years of 2014 and 2015 were recognized as inflection points for the switch from traditional steel to aluminium and other light materials in automobiles, including the replacement of advanced high strength steel (AHSS) with aluminium. In general, the use of aluminium and other light materials will feature predominantly in heavy vehicles, like pick-ups and SUVs, while AHSS will most likely retain its dominance in light and small vehicles, which should lead to a structural weight reduction of approximately 220 lbs (approximately 100kg). This comes in the wake of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets getting doubled...
